A Dream Within
by xshashimoto
Summary: Ichika and his group of girl-friends come back to IS Academy for a second year. Upon their return, they learn of a new student joining them as a second year; only this student is no ordinary student. The second male with the compatibility to pilot an IS, Exequiel Lanuzo, joins the new group. How will the gang receive him into their lives?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of Infinite Stratos... I wish I did.**

* * *

At the IS Academy, students, for the most part teenage girls, are making their way through the campus for the start of a new year. Returning second and third year students chat amongst themselves; catching up with each other about how their winter breaks went and what kind of plans they for this year.

One young man, Ichika Orimura, makes his way through the crowd of girls as he treks his way up the stairs of the main entrance. Of course, naturally as the only male in the world that has the ability to pilot an IS and brother the world renowned Chifuyu Orimura, Orimura has made quite the popularity for himself amonst the student body. That seemed to only grow with the encounter and triumph with the terrorist from last year and the glitch with the Silver Gospel IS that went loose.

With a smile, Ichika walks into the dormitories looking for his assigned room. _Feels good to be back... _he thinks to himself. After exchanging quick "hellos" and acknowledgements amongst some of the second year students that he met as a first year, he finally reaches his room. As he is about to slide in his card key to unlock the door, he hears someone call out his name.

"Ichika!"

The young man in question turns to his left to see a young Japanese girl the same age as him running towards him as she waves. A bright smile spreads across his face as he looks at his first childhood friend, Houki Shinonono. Slightly shorter than Ichika, toned body, long black hair, and not in the least bit unattractive by any means, Ichika always wondered how Houki never had guys line up to court her. Of course, she was always rather very serious all the time but those who were close to her knew very well about the girly innocence she rarely showed. She still showed a good level of annoyance whenever the topic of her older sister, Tabane, came up or made her presence felt around Houki. However, after Tabane designed for her own personal IS, Akatsubaki, Houki has made progress in not fully resenting her.

"Hey, Houki," Ichika greeted with a small smile on his face. "How ya been?"

"I've been good, thank you," Houki replied politely as she returned his smile with one of hers. "How was yours?"

_Cute... _Ichika thought to himself. "Mine was good thank you." Ichika cleared his throat gently to nonchalantly check Houki was paying attention to him. "I uh, I missed you over winter break, Houki," Ichika said shyly as a blush spread across his cheeks, averting his gaze off into the hallway as he reached back and started to scratch his head.

Taken slightly aback by Ichika's comment, Houki gasped silently as the blood rushed towards her face. She, too, looked off to the side to hopefully hide her embarrassment and inward joy about being thought about by Ichika; let alone to be cared about enough to be missed over break when all of them were on their own.

"Baka," Houki whispered under her breath.

"Eh?" Ichika inquired as he turned back towards Houki, unconsciously putting himself closer to her. The two locked eye contact; staring deeply into each other's eyes. _Houki's lips... They look so soft... _Ichika thought to himnself. Usually, he would be chiding himself mentally or be too shy and polite to act so intimately with one of his closest friends but with Houki, the feeling he felt was that everything about the situation felt right.

Houki herself struggled within; fighting back the urge to pull away. _Idiot! What are you doing?! Don't be giving up your first kiss so easily to him! Hey! _These thoughts and all others related were muted by the look in Ichika's eyes. Those dark brown orbs, that her, and annoyingly five other girls, get lost so easily into have a mesmerizing spell hidden behind them.

"Ichika..."

"Houki..."

" " ICHIKA! " "

"Eh?"

All of a sudden two partial deployed ISs were pointing at Ichika's forehead; the muzzle of a gun and the large circular cannon that he recognized all too well. Ichika knew automatically who was behind both of the weapons respectively but he did not get a chance to truly think on it as his eyes enlarged in fear of his life and that of Houki's. Instinctively, he grabbed Houki's hand and picked her up as he ran for their lives down the hall.

"Hey! You come back here!" Cecilia Alcott yelled after the pair.

"Ichika! Don't think you can run away from us!" Lingyin Huang (known as Rin by her friends) added as the pair of girls chased them through the halls.

Cecilia is the representative from Great Britain with her own private IS known as Blue Tears. Originally, much to the poor relationship she had with her father up until his death along with her mother - seeing him as weak and as really used marriage as a way to rise in society - she indeed looked down upon men as being inferior to women in every way possible. That, of course, changed when she fought Ichika for the title of class representative which she really didn't win mainly because Ichika's personal IS ran out of shield energy before he could deal the finishing blow that would have won the fight for him.

Rin is the second childhood friend of Ichika and also harbors very strong feelings for him from a promise that was made between the two of them. Ichika being Ichika, he did not pick up the hint that he promise he made was for him to be Rin's boyfriend if she were to improve her cooking. Her parents' divorce was what had forced her to move away from him during their younger years but she still did not forget him or the promise that they made. Last year as first years, Rin was in the second class as its representative and the representative from China. Her personal IS that she pilots is known as Shenlong.

Bursts of blue lasers and charged orange particles were shot after the poor Japanese teenagers as their British and Chinese friends seemed to show no change in their tenacity in punishing the boy. Screams amongst the other girls who were onlooking echoed throughout the hall, much of it just really fangirling over the physical closeness that Ichika and Houki were sharing in their current situation. The former was more concerned about their physical wellbeing while the latter was also reveling in the way Ichika was carrying her down the hall. Ichika finally was able to make it out of the dormitories and out onto the courtyard before they were noticed by another pair of girls that were close to him and Houki.

"Ichika! What's going on?!"

"Wife! What is the meaning of this?"

The two new girls entering the situation were Charlotte Dunois and Laura Bodewig.

Charlotte was originally sent to the Academy from her home country by her father and his corporation's orders to get more information on Ichika's personal IS. Part of the charade was to go under the alias of being another male pilot but that cat was quickly let out of the bag when Ichika accidentally walked in on her showering. What didn't help was the rumor that the two had taken a bath together the previous night which incurred the wrath of Houki, Cecilia, and Rin at the time. She is the representative for France, piloting a second generation IS known as Rafale Revive Custom II. What enchanted her for falling for Ichika was his willingness and kindheartedness to help her despite knowing what her intentions originally were. Her personality of being the shy, angelic type is what allows her to be very close to Ichika, much to the chargin of the other girls.

Laura is a different type of girl from the rest of Ichika's close friends on many different levels. For starters, her first meeting with him had begun with a slap across his face. Initially hating him for being the cause of her mentor leaving (coincidentally, Chifuyu Orimura), Laura saw Ichika as nothing more than a nuisance that was better dealt with before becoming a serious obstacle with her relationship with the older Orimura sibling. Her feelings for him were created during a tournament that brought her against Ichika and Charlotte when he saved her from within her IS known as Schwarzer Regen. That led to the famous incident when she charged into class and kissed him in front of his whole class and proclaimed him to be her "wife"; one of the few things that Laura is misinformed about Japanese culture.

Before he could answer, explosions erupted from behind him as Cecilia and Rin closed their distance between him and Houki. The force of the blasts propelled him and Houki toward Charlotte and Laura, respectively landing on the girls as they did so. Houki and Laura were able to push themselves off of each other and the ground while they gaped wide eyed at the other two that were forced to the floor. Ichika's body was sloppily sprawled over Charlotte's as she too looked like someone just nonchalantly dropped her on the floor. What had everyone's attention except Ichika's was where the poor boy in question had his left hand - right on Charlotte's left bosom. Humorously, the hand didn't look like it was an accidental or gentle cup of the breast. More so, an intentional grasp or squeeze seemed to be more appropriate.

"Ichika..." Charlotte started, too shy and embarrassed to outright tell the boy she loved was coughing a pretty good feel at the moment.

Ichika groaned in his attempt to push himself off of Charlotte only to find his left hand was on top of something soft. For some odd reason, the lights up stairs weren't on and the one couldn't be carried over without him pushing down and squeezing, getting quite the handful from Charlotte.

"You pervert..." Charlotte finished with a blush on her face.

"Charlotte! You know I'm not like that!" Ichika screamed in his defense.

Unfortunately, his pleas fell on deaf ears as the remaining girls looked at him with glares in their eyes that froze the poor boy in his current position; straddling Charlotte with her right boob in his left hand. Ichika probably would have sweat all of the remaining water in his body right then and there if he were to continue being under the piercing gazes he was under right now - all of his friends with personal ISs and a temper with a fuse the length of a paperclip.

"Orimura." The name came from a stern, deep woman that had seen the events unfold before. The look of annoyance was wrought over her face as her eyes were closed to further drive the idea home that the behavior displayed by the six teenagers was embarrassing. Tall, slender, ample physical attributes, Chifuyu Orimura looked more like a model than the world's strongest woman even with the office attire that she always sported while on campus. To her side was Maya Yamada, her assistant teacher to class 1-1. On the calmer, quieter, and shyer instructor's face was more embarrassment and slight discomfort due to the memory erupting forth from last year during a demonstration that left her in a similar situation that the Dunois girl was in.

Instantly, Ichika shot up like a soldier called to attention by his superior office - his back straight and stiff as a board, shoulders back, chest up, hands stuck to his sides. The girls looked on with amazed faces, still surprised to see what kind of effect the older Orimura sibling had on their friend. "Y-Yes, Chifuyu-nee."

A smack to the top of his head by a rolled up stack of papers met his head for his usual mistake of addressing his older sister whilst still on campus.

"It's Orimura-sensei to you, baka."

Ichika rubbed his head gently with embarrassment in his tone. "Sorry about that."

The sibling doing the questioning opened her eyes and cooly gave an order to her younger brother.

"Settle into your dorm. You will have a roommate this year," Chifuyu Orimura said to Ichika but the volume of her information was directed at all six of the strongest second years. Houki and the other girls stood shocked that there was going to be another student rooming in with Ichika.

Ichika too was very surprised by the news. All through last year, he had three different roommates; Houki, Charlotte, and Tatenashi Sarashiki - the last bringing much frustration and agitation to the all five girls; her constant flirtations with Ichika were blatant and caused much discomfort for the aforementioned boy and yet, she did so constantly out of pure enjoyment. There was some speculation that she too may have done so out of her own feelings for Ichika but that is another matter. _Great... Another girl for all of them to be upset with me over. It's not like I enjoy the fact that they fight over me and bring trouble for me. However, if it is another student, then I will get along with her. It must be somewhat important for Nee-chan to come talk to me about it. _

"When will I get to meet the new student?" Ichika inquired.

"You'll get to meet the new student in class today. However, I do have something to ask of you regarding this new student," Chifuyu stated, her tone conveying the importance of the matter at hand. Ichika remembered the exact same tone during the Silver Gospel incident and the run-ins with the terrorist group, Phantom Task. "I want you to be close to this student. Aid in whatever is asked of you. Can you do that?"

"Y-Yeah..." Ichika sputtered out.

"Good. See you in class." As soon as she finished her last word, Chifuyu Orimura and Maya Yamada turned around and began walking back towards the campus buildings where the lecture part of classes were held.

"One thing," Ichika called after. The older Orimura sibling stopped in her tracks as did Yamada to look back at the younger sibling. "Why is it so important that I get along with the new student?"

Without turning back towards her younger brother/student, she said, "Because the new student is a boy."

* * *

**A/N: Hey guys! This is my second fanfic that I will be currently working on and my first Infinite Stratos piece! I am really excited as to what becomes of this one so reviews are all welcome. **

**If you are familiar with my Rosario + Vampire fanfic (if not, you are welcome to go check that out at your own discretion), I will be continuing that as well so please wait patiently. My muse regarding that piece is taking a break whereas this muse came to me a few days ago. Forgive me - I feel like such a man-whore for picking up another muse so quickly. _" **

**Oh well. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I am really looking forward to this one! Farewell for now!**


	2. Chapter 2

" " " " " " EH?! " " " " " "

All six of the teenagers were beyond shocked at the bomb that Chifuyu Orimura dropped on them. It was one thing for an exchange student from another country or anyone for that matter, to be accepted into the world-renowned IS Academy. But the idea of another male, aside from Ichika Orimura, to have the ability, nay, the compatibility to pilot an IS was the last thing anyone could have come up with. Still, the tone that the older sibling gave the news was unwavering and outright serious. Ichika knew his sister well enough to not be a liar and that she had spared no effort in confirming the presence of another male pilot.

"See you all in class."

As the two teachers began their retreat back to the classrooms, the friends stood rooted to the ground; shock still blocking control of all mental function. Each of the girls began to come up with any explanation to disprove the thought immediately. Surely that couldn't happen, right?

"Ichika's the only male pilot in the world, right? I'm sure if there was another male that was compatible, the world would have known about it," Houki said nervously as her eyebrow twitched.

"Ye-Yeah! Something as huge as that, I would have known about it immediately," Cecilia confirmed in a tone where her superiority complex shone all too brightly.

"Psh! There's already a limited number of IS cores in the world and I'm sure giving one to a another guy is impossible!" Rin did her best to convey annoyance to cover up her complete denial of the situation.

"Ichika's ability is extremely rare as it is. To think there'd be another," Charlotte trailed off, the only one seemingly open-minded enough to ponder the possibility.

"Tch! My wife and I already make the most superior team in the world - no need for some wanna-be pilot," Laura added with disgust. Every one looked at Laura briefly with their look of annoyance for still calling Ichika her "wife". Laura's source of information regarding Japanese society came from her superior officer back home. Humorously, the woman is obsessed with Japanese manga and anime; solely basing off her advice and information she passes onto Laura off of written entertainment.

As much as the girls were having a hard time swallowing the proverbial pill, the hardest one to take it was Ichika. He still remembered that day when he went to go take the IS compatibility test because his sister asked him to. He had lost himself in the compound and had unknowingly walked onto an IS which allowed him to have his own personal IS: the very same one that his sister basically won with the first two Mondo Gross. The shock of producing a reaction from it was revolutionary. For a male to be able to do what only a woman was only declared to do was enormous in its own magnitude. However, as much as the thought shocked him, Ichika was looking forward to having another guy on campus. What would the new student be like? Would the two get along? Did his compatibility to an IS meet any of the girls; possibly exceed theirs? Questions like this ran through his mind. Then he thought of his friendship with Houki and all of them. He liked all of the girls, but there were things that he couldn't do strictly because they were girls. Having another guy on campus would allow him to have a really close guy friend. He was looking forward to it if anything.

"Actually," Ichika began hesitantly. The girls looked at him apprehensively, unsure to what he was thinking and what was about to be said. "I think I will like having another male student at the Academy. I mean," looking at Charlotte, "I was really comfortable with you when I was under the impression that you were a guy, Charl."

Charlotte blushed as she looked away and swayed her shoulders back and forth as she recalled the first couple days they roomed together - mainly the night when he found out; Ichika had tried to get her to undress with him in the locker room for bonding. Houki and the rest of the girls all give disapproving glances towards her as they find out something new about how close Charlotte is to Ichika. That almost instantly turned into anger. Unfortunately, the fury was targeted at Ichika. The targeted boy nervously took a couple steps back and put his hands up defensively.

"C'mon guys... I didn't know Charlotte was a girl at the time. It's perfectly natural for two guy friends to be close, right?"

Before any of the girls had a chance to partially deploy their ISs and started chasing their target, the bell rang signaling the start of the second year for the gang. Ichika let out a breath that he didn't know he was holding as he took off towards the school building in a sprint. He waved behind him as he ran away from the girls.

"I'll see you all later!"

" " " " " Ichika...! " " " " "

_This is going to be a long year... _Ichika thought to himself.

* * *

At the entrance of the academy, a lone male teenager was standing in a male version of the school uniform. In his hand was a slip of paper with the name of his new home for the next couple years with its address scribbled beneath it. He checked the address once more to make sure he was indeed at the right location and looked up to absorb the vastness of the new school. A small smile crept up on his face as the thought of a certain young woman crept into his mind. Taking a deep breath, he began his trek towards the main office to check in with a steely determination and apprehensiveness.

"Nee-chan, thank you."

* * *

Ichika sat nervously in the middle of the classroom with six pairs of eyes glued onto him. Houki sat a couple rows down near the window; Cecilia behind and to the left one desk; Rin next to Houki but closer to Ichika; Charlotte a couple seats behind Ichika in the same row; and Laura a seat behind and to the right. The desk in front of him remained empty as all the students began to fill the classroom. _Must be for the transfer student..._ He had grown used to the attention but a part of him was starting to become annoyed and aggravated with how the girls were acting. Being surrounded by girls would generally sound like the ideal dream for any sixteen year old with raging hormones but in all actuality, their immaturity and brashness was starting to get old. It was quite difficult trying to be bluntly honest with them - he could but their emotions and self-esteems were so fragile; for example, telling Cecilia her cooking was horrendous and that she alone had the ability to screw something up as simple as a sandwich was something all of them - the girls included - could not find the strength to do so. Ichika saw himself as not the smartest tack in the box but he was no idiot; the simplest praise made their day. They all had feelings for him.

_Maybe having a guy friend might save my sanity..._

With no teacher in sight, the students were free to socialize with each other. Greetings were made and light conversation ensured.

"I wonder who our teacher is going to be this year."

"I sure hope it's Orimura-sensei. I was in her class last year."

"Really? You're so lucky!"

"Hey, didn't you hear? I guess there's a new transfer student coming in. As a second year!"

"What? No way!"

"Yeah! The rumor is that the pilot is so good, the instructor didn't stand a chance!"

Before Ichika could turn and give his two cents on the matter, the door opened and two women walked in; Yamada-sensei and Ichika's older sister, Chifuyu. Squeals of girls instantly filled the room.

"We get Orimura-sensei!"

"She's so cool!"

"Ummm, well, please quiet down now," Yamada asked gently but enough to be heard. The girls took their seats but still maintained quiet conversation. She took her place at the head of the class behind the podium and stood, unsure what to do next.

"Quiet down!" Chifuyu Orimura yelled, going immediately into strict teacher mode. The class immediately became so quiet one could hear a pen drop.

"Thank you, Orimura-sensei. Now then," Yamada began, more comfortable now that she had Chifuyu as backup. "I am Yamada-sensei and you all know Orimura-sensei. We will be your teachers for this year. First off, I would like to congratulate and welcome you as second years to the prestigious IS Academy."

"This year, we will be focusing mainly on combat abilities, tactics, and theories. After last years' incidents, it is expected that all of you are able to cope with real life battle situations. You are all extremely gifted so I expect nothing more than the very best from all of you. Understood?"

"Yes, Orimura-sensei!" erupted the class in unison.

"Now then, as some of you may have heard. We do have a transfer student joining us today. Although, I don't know when -"

Yamada-sensei was cut off by the whirring of the door sliding open to someone entering.

"Ah! Here he is now," Orimura-sensei added.

"EH?!" was heard across the room from the girls.

"'He'?"

"Did I hear that right?"

"There's another male pilot aside from Orimua-kun?!"

The male student walked calmly towards the front of the room as the chattering continued. Standing at a nonthreatening height of five foot six (1.67 m), the male could have blended in with anywhere else in the world. His body was not huge but extremely toned to a strict physical condition that required strong mental will and discipline. His hair was short and dark brown, cut to clean flat top that went well with his square jaw. His facial features contained a mixture of Japanese descent but the eyes were what struck the biggest impression for everyone; Ichika and the girls included. The almond-shaped eyes and the darkness of his brown eyes - almost black if seen with little light - showed a soft, but controlled sterness.

"My name is Exequiel Lanuzo. I will be in your care for the school year. Please take good care of me," the teenager stated with an accent that didn't sound like any of the regions from Japan or other European countries. His voice was deep that resonated well but it was also very soft as if he had a hard time controlling it.

"Thank you, Lanuzo-san. Please take the empty desk," Chifuyu said.

With a quick nod and a slight bow to the older Orimura sibling, Exequiel moved towards the desk that was in front of Ichika. All eyes were now on the two male students in the classroom, wondering on how the first meeting would go.

"Ichika Orimura-san, I understand, yes?"

"Eh? Uh, yeah, that's me," Ichika replied back nervously. He stood up and bowed in greeting. "Welcome to IS Academy, Lanuzo-san."

"Thank you, Orimura-san. Since we're classmates, I think formalities would only hinder any future developments for us becoming closer. So please, call me Exequiel," suggested Lanuzo with calm and friendly demeanor as he stretched out a hand.

"All right. Then, call me by name too then."

With an understanding nod, the two shook hands and took their seats. The girls looked on with mixed feelings, each not fully trusting the new student. Ichika was always friendly towards others and never initially thought ill of anyone else with each initial meeting.

_I'll have to keep an eye on him... _Houki thought to herself.


	3. Chapter 3

The lectures went on without much incidence. Everyone was understanding and remembering the material that Yamada and Orimura-sensei were going over. Ichika struggled a little bit during the time they reviewed the important topics from last year but after that refresher, he felt more confident and took everything else in stride. He looked up to see how Exequiel was doing and he was amazed at how comfortable and relaxed his new classmate appeared; not a single trace of confusion nor doubt could be seen on his face. Exequiel turned back towards Ichika and gave him a smile and a thumbs up. Ichika in turn smiled back.

After the first half of the day was done, the lunch hall was filled immediately. Tables were filled with classmates and friends, old and new, with conversation flowing effortlessly. Exequiel had stayed behind because he said he wanted to thank Yamada and Orimura-sensei for his first day. Ichika sat alone at a table eating tempura udon. The girls were, for some reason that he didn't know (as was generally the case), not very happy with him and had decided to try and give him the silent treatment and ignore him. He knew it wouldn't last long though; he could see Houki sneaking glances towards him from one part of the cafeteria, Cecilia and Rin looking intently from their table, and Charlotte and Laura staring at him from their booth. He sighed to himself, waiting for them to give their harsh, but purely lighthearted scolding that would happen the next time he was with them. Before he could look towards any of them, the volume in the lunch hall rose by many decibels as all the girls caught sight of the rumored second male student at IS Academy.

"Look there he is!"

"So the rumors were true!"

"He looks so cool!"

"I want to go say hi!"

As this and many other comments were directed at Exequiel, the poor boy looked overwhelmed and had a great deal of difficulty in handling all of the female attention. The look of confidence and relaxation was gone now; clearly the poor boy was way out of his element. He could understand everything about ISs but place him in a room with close proximity of hundreds of girls, and he was as lost as a teenager learning calculus for the first time. Exequiel tried to greet as many of the girls as he could, politely and humbly, giving his first name and what class he was in.

Ichika smiled and laughed to himself inwardly as he could relate to all of the attention and the overwhelming feeling of being instantly popular. Houki and the rest of the girls watched from their seats as Ichika made his way through the crowd of girls surrounding Exequiel.

"Excuse me, Lanuzo-san," Ichika yelled over the girls as he squeezed himself between two that were bombarding his classmate with questions. "Would you like to have lunch with me?"

Instantly, the girls grew quiet and looked onward at Exequiel, eagerly anticipating his reply. With a smile on his face and a nod, "Thank you, Orimura-san. I would enjoy that very much." Fangirl-like squealing echoed throughout the room.

"Lanuzo and Orimura-kun! The two males of IS Academy - brotherhood in arms!"

"It could be just like in feudal times!"

"Forbidden BL!"

Exequiel had this weird look on his face and was about to inquire what exactly was being said, but when he looked at Ichika, the look on his classmate's face read total shock and embarrassment. Obviously, whatever was being said, could be translated as inappropriate or some form of taboo.

"So, then!" Exequiel cleared his throat. "How about that lunch?"

Ichika snapped out of his daze and chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his head. "Y-Yeah, Lanuzo-san. I'm over there." He pointed to where his table was in the room.

"Okay. I'm going to get my food really quick and I'll sit down." With that rather awkward exchange between the two teenagers, they split ways momentarily. Lanuzo paced quickly to lunch line to get his food as he stood uneasily to await his turn. He glanced over to Ichika and gave him an awkward smile but the message was that the earlier interaction was all in good fun and that he felt no ill intention whatsoever. Ichika sighed in relief as he sat down in front of his food once again.

Before he could resume eating his lunch, a pair of hands slammed down hard in front of him on the table. With a jolt, Ichika looked up to see Cecilia with her cheeks puffed and her eyes filled with anger and... frustration? Around her were the rest of the girls with a similar look on their faces. Startled and confused, Ichika's facial expression was that of a "deer in the headlights" look. He had no idea why his friends would be so angry with him. As far as he knew, he did nothing wrong or anything for them to get upset but then again, these were girls who would get mad at him for anything and everything it seemed. Almost as quickly as the frightened look came it left and was replaced with a look of annoyance and indifference.

"Ichika! How come you've never asked us straight out in front of everyone to sit with you but you ask the new male student on the first day?!" Cecilia yelled out loudly, causing a few heads to turn.

"Last year, all of you ate lunch with me almost everyday. It's kind of redundant to ask if you're going to do it anyway." The girls stood in silence, stunned that Ichika had actually made a compelling argument against them. They were so used to him apologizing and rolling over while they lashed at him verbally. Cecilia shook her head and continued her verbal onslaught. Apparently, today was the day that everything that ever bothered her decided to surface.

"That's not the point!"

"Ummm, excuse me," Lanuzo said gently but enough for the group of friends to hear him. He stood there with a small smile on his face in order to be polite and courteous. With his lunch in hand, Lanuzo glanced at Ichika and the girls, aware of the yelling that had just occured. Despite his polite mannerisms, he was shot with a dirty look from all of the girls except Charlotte. Exequiel recoiled as if struck. He cast a glance towards Charlotte and noticed a softness in her gaze that made feel relieved; at least one of them didn't come off as wanting to push him aside or feel threatened by him.

"I don't mind if you want to sit with Ichika. I would like to get along with everyone as much as possible, including any friend of Ichika's."

"Tell me, Lanuzo-san," Cecilia asked, rather haughtily. "Where exactly are you from?"

The boy in question looked at Cecilia confused as to why it would matter to her but he decided he would try to get along with as many people as possible. "I'm not from Japan. I was born in the Philippines."

Cecilia responded with a scoff; the Philippines is a poor country, not even coming close in GDP value compared to Britain, China, Japan, the States, France, or Germany. As a third world country, they were much like the rest of Southeast Asia; a nice sprawling capital city but the remaining towns and villages lagged far behind the progress made with the rest of the world. In some circumstances, the citizens had lived without much artificial light if any going into the first fifteen years of the 21st century. _How could he have even came in contact with an IS, let alone have tested to see if he had compatibility with one?_ were the thoughts of the girls.

Lanuzo hung his head down as he figured he was being sized up by his classmate. "I am not a representative from the Philippines however. I was born out of wedlock - my mother told me my father was here, while she was still alive... I came here looking for him when I was thirteen." He paused to let that soak in and bowed his head respectively. "Forgive me, Orimura-san. Perhaps another time." And with that, he walked towards an empty table by a window and sat down alone.

"Cecilia, why were you so cold just now?" Ichika asked, looking up at his friend. He was accustomed to her being slightly overbearing on how cultured she was compared to the rest of their group but even he knew the attitude she had towards Exequiel was not called for. Cecilia had to recover for a moment upon hearing that he too had been abandoned by his father. The disloyalty and dishonor of men would never seize to amaze her. The only man that she felt that she could ever respect as her equal was Ichika.

As for Charlotte, her heart went out to her new classmate. Never really having a healthy, positive relationship with her own father, the French girl felt she could relate to the feeling of abandonment; of not being wanted. She alone watched him eat by himself.

"Cecilia?" asked Rin while Alcott was still in her own thoughts. The girls and Ichika glanced over to see that she was still within in her own mental world, going over her attitude towards her new classmate.

"Never mind him. Ichika-," Cecilia began as she turned towards her friend but she immediately closed her mouth as he noticed he was no longer sitting in his spot. What she turned to was something that she felt to be the equivalent of a degree of betrayal - Ichika had walked over towards Exequiel and had bowed respectfully towards his classmate.

"I apologize for my friend's behavior. She has a tendency to be overbearing at times but she is a good person."

Exequiel gave a soft smile and nodded. "I understand. However, as much as I do appreciate you apologizing on her behalf, your act of kindness does not mean anything since the matter truly is between me and Miss Alcott. So, were I to accept an apology, it has to be from her," he replied as he cast a glance towards the girl in question. Cecilia quickly looked away with a "Humph!" and made her way back to her seat. He chuckled. "I guess I shouldn't hold my breath huh, Ichika-san?"

Ichika chuckled half-heartedly and looked towards his British classmate. He always wondered how one who could call herself so sophisticated and cultured could sometimes be so cold, overbearing, and at times lacking in manners. "I am sure she'll come around eventually."

Exequiel nodded and gave a soft smile towards Ichika and turned towards the other girls who were still standing there. Houki and the others were still rather hesitant to get along with this new "man" at the academy. Obviously, Ichika didn't feel threatened but they all believed he was too nice and naive for his own good. They remained rather skeptical of their new classmate. Except for Charlotte. As much as she too was unsure of who he was as a person, for some reason she felt she could trust him and befriend him. Perhaps it was because he and Ichika had made instant friends with each other to begin with - regardless, she thought that maybe, _maybe_, they'd be all able to get along with each other.

With a smile on her face, she made her way over to the two male students of the IS Academy, much to the surprise of the other girls. As she stood in front of them, she turned towards her new classmate.

"My name is Charlotte Dunois - an IS Representative from France. Pleased to make your acquaintance, Lanuzo-san," said the French girl, bowing as she made her introduction.

Lanuzo in turn got out of his seat and stood in front of her. Charlotte looked up due to hearing him stand.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance, Miss Dunois. Please, call me Exequiel," replied Lanuzo as he bowed in respect to the first of Ichika's friends that weren't too skeptical to not take the first step. After finishing his bow, he looked at Charlotte and looked her in the eyes and smiled. Charlotte immediately felt her face warm up as cheeks became flushed and her heartbeat escalated.

"Y-yeah! E-E-Exequiel! I'll see you around!" Charlotte sputtered out as she took off towards her seat. Confused as to why the sudden change in Charlotte, Ichika and Exequiel still stood there staring in the direction towards her seat.

"Do you know why she was like that?" Exequiel asked Ichika.

"No idea," replied Ichika.

* * *

**A/N: Aish! Finally, got this done! As for the OC being paired up with any of the girls from Ichika's 'harem', I have a girl in mind but I don't know if the story itself will write it that way. I believe we as writers, do have an intended direction for our stories but ultimately, the stories write themselves and we just simply convey what we see. **

**I know on my first story I haven't responded to reviews, much like where my personal FanFiction favorite authors, Gamera68 and Apoc326, have done but I will be doing so from now on for this story, that story, and all stories hereafter. Therefore, let the responses begin. **

**Guest1(not sure if you are the same individual): I do appreciate you giving your time reading and leaving suggestions for this story regarding the OC's personal IS. I find it wonderful that you have an idea that you would like me to incorporate into this story. However, I have already laid out what his IS is going to be and the name of said IS. I hope that you continue to stay with me as I work through this FanFiction. *bows***

**"guest": I have answered one of your questions in this chapter and you will have your other questions answered in the next chapter; mainly concerning the IS. Concerning the pairing, originally, I don't know if I made it that obvious in my writing or if you're psychic but those were the three I was looking at. So, kudos, internet points, and a cookie to you. ^_^**

**Rob: You sir, are being rather judgmental early on. I take pride in having originality (as do all authors here on ) so as to be so quick to say that I will be following a storyline that is popular on here is what I consider a narrow-minded approach. Plus, you can try and insult me, but do not insult what my fellow FanFiction authors do, okay? I respect all opinions, I really do. But, you can criticise without negativity. Furthermore, if you're going to bash on my OC, at least be considerate enough to type his name out correctly. **

**coco6561: Thank you. I will try my best to not disappoint you and all of the users who are following this story. It did make me happy to see your review right after "Rob's". **

**Stay tuned, and review, favorite, and follow at your own leisure! 'Til then! ^_^**


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